Commuting Versus Working from Home

Going out to work is both a privilege and a bugbear for most adults in full-time employment. In the market today, the fact you even have a job is a blessing, but a long commute can often be the reason you come to resent your job. Commuting to an office also means that in general, you work alongside the same people day in and day out, regardless of whether you get on with those people or not.

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It’s for these reasons that many people choose to work for themselves from the comfort of their own home instead of battling the elements and the public transport to get to work. Sure, there’s something exciting about buying a Thor laser pointer for your bicycle when you choose to get to work that way, but when you have to use it in thundering rain the shine comes off the top!

There’s a lot of pros and cons for working from home, the biggest con being that it’s rather lonely. Those people you see in the office every day may not be your general cup of tea, but they are there to talk to whereas from home it’s just you.

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Commuting often gives you a chance to get out of the house and see more than the four walls of the house. Working from home doesn’t always afford you that opportunity, unless you are working a more flexible schedule. Some people find that working at home can be more motivating, as you’re not forced to sit at a desk for eight hours in uncomfortable clothing to get the work done.

There is no one breathing down your neck for deadlines and you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas if you don’t want to. However, a commute gives you a chance to wake up for the day. It also gives you the opportunity to be present when big office decisions are made.

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The pros for commuting, however, do not outweigh the cons. The changes in the weather through the year can often make a commute unbearable, and the costs of travel or gas for the car can be higher than you would feel comfortable with. If you think that being stuck in rush hour traffic, or trapped under the arm of a sweaty commuter in the height of summer on the subway is fun, then you’ll enjoy the commute every day.

As it is, more and more people are asking their employer for flexible working that allows them to work from their own home. Thankfully, companies are seeing the good in this, as they realise that happy workers are those who are productive and get more done.

As long as the work required is done in the right time and by the set deadlines, employers are far more relaxed. This could be due to the birth of the IT cloud, as access to work systems is far easier wherever you are.

Either way, you have to enjoy your job and choosing between commuting to work and working from home comes under that enjoyment!